The Earnest Notebook: The 130-Hour Work Week // Purchasing Power // Sex No More

Welcome to the Earnest Notebook, a weekly roundup of articles and ideas from around the web—sometimes serious and sometimes not—about the intersection between money, school, work, and life. It’s designed to be a quick read—and as always, we want to address topics that matter to our readers. Please email us at editors@earnest.com with writing that piques your interest.

This story is about Marissa Mayer—but it’s also about the early-career work habits of the most successful people in the Valley. “For my first five years [at Google], I did at least one all-nighter a week, except when I was on vacation—and the vacations were few and far between.” And that’s how you become a CEO before you’re 40.

Gas, cigarettes, rent. The cost of these items varies dramatically depending on where you go in the United States. (A pack of smokes can cost between $5 and $13 depending on where you’re located.) Now the government is tracking regional variations—or the purchasing power of a dollar. Great explainer of this essential economic concept.

Earlier this summer a study was published reporting that young millennials are having less sex than any other generation. Why? The culprits are varied, according to one story in the Washington Post—working too much, stress, antidepressants, more time online, the stress of emotional entanglements, easy access to porn. This LATimes op-ed writer (also a 20-something M-word) explains why the sexless trend is worrisome. “The problem isn’t that millennials are having less sex, but that many of their reasons reveal warped values and a fear-based approach to existence.”